Jury: DOC not guilty in discrimination case

A Cole County jury found the Missouri Department of Corrections was not guilty of discrimination claims filed by a case manager with the department.

After hearing testimony throughout last week, the jury returned Monday with a ruling against Nancy Koonse, of Columbia.

The jury, after about an hour of deliberation, found the department did not sexually discriminate against Koonse and there was no evidence of retaliation or a hostile work environment based on her claims of sexual discrimination, according to court documents.

Koonse filed the suit in June 2013, claiming in 2012 she had interviewed for a position eventually awarded to a man and that her gender was a contributing factor for her being denied the promotion.